After a beloved family member had a terrible fall, April Parrish saw firsthand why tissue engineering is so important.

″What would have been something minor for many was a painful ordeal for my husband's grandmother. She has diabetes and her sores don't heal like ours do. The doctors tried all kinds of procedures, including using pigskin. She had visiting nurses for eight months,″ said Parrish, a Winter 2015 UM-Dearborn graduate. ″When you can't heal, it's traumatic.″

So when Parrish saw an opportunity to work on a project that could aid tissue research and cell creation through the College of Engineering and Computer Science 2015 Senior Design Competition, the dual mechanical and biological engineering major looked forward to the challenge.

″I know this is something that is needed and, if it works, I could be a part of something that can make a difference in someone's life,″ she said.

Many car companies say they will release their autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles by 2025.

With autonomous car experiments beginning in the 1920s and promising trials in the 1950s, Computer and Information Science Assistant Professor Omid Dehzangi says he's excited to see these next-level vehicles on the road. But he knows there is more research to be done.

To get the public ready for this change, he's focusing on the human side.

Dehzangi, who has been researching wearable technology and its application for years, said when he started teaching on campus last year, he looked at the automotive industry, the direction it was headed and what was still needed.

″You hear about how the vehicles will interact with each other and how the vehicles with interact with the roads, the infrastructure. But what about us, the drivers? How will we interact with these new vehicles?,″ he said. ″My ultimate goal in my research is to create a proactive driver safety system, like an autonomous vehicle distraction alert system.″

To do this, he's been studying-with assistance from University of Michigan-Dearborn students-the biological state of the driver and the impact that has on driving actions.

We are pleased to announce a tuition scholarship through the National Science Foundation funded S-STEM program in Manufacturing Engineering Leadership Development at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UM-Dearborn). This opportunity is available to students who are interested in pursuing undergraduate engineering education at the UM-Dearborn with majors in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or industrial and systems engineering, with a focus on manufacturing. The key objective of this program is to create a pool of highly talented and skilled manufacturing engineering graduates with leadership quality.

Amount of Award: The scholarship award is $21,200 for four years ($5,300 that is automatically renewed if the student continues to satisfy the scholarship requirements).

Additional information about eligibility and other requirements can be found at the homepage link below.

Angela Chen has never been one to run away from a problem. In fact, her passion is solving them. A software engineering and CIS (computer and information science) math dual degree student, Chen graduated from University of Michigan-Dearborn on Sunday, April 26, with honors.

″I would like to apply my mathematics and engineering skills to study human-computer interactions or maybe artificial intelligence, using algorithmic approaches to solve problems,″ she said.

Chen got a head start on her research during her undergraduate career. She worked closely with Associate Professor Habib Ammari, researching wireless sensor technology, which uses sensors to monitor physical and environmental conditions. Chen looked at ways to apply this technology to the health field.

But Chen didn't just shine in the research lab; she also has been recognized for her success in the classroom. She was a recipient of the William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize, which recognizes freshman students in the top 5 percent of their class, and is an Honors Scholar for the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

University of Michigan-Dearborn's College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) is one of more than 120 U.S. engineering schools that announced plans to educate a new generation of engineers expressly equipped to tackle some of the most pressing issues facing society in the 21st century. A letter of commitment signed by participating schools was presented to President Barack Obama on March 23.

These ″Grand Challenges,″ identified through initiatives such as the White House Strategy for American Innovation, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges for Engineering, and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, include complex yet critical goals such as engineering better medicines, making solar energy cost-competitive with coal, securing cyberspace, and advancing personalized learning tools to deliver better education to more individuals.